A Del Webb resident is taking it upon herself to bring new tax revenue to Mt. Juliet.

Sidney Payne has started a petition to allow liquor stores in Mt. Juliet. She needs 750 signatures to get a referendum on the ballot. She already has 300, just from Del Webb residents.

“We are shooting for over 1,000,” said Payne.

She said, so far, no one has refused to sign the petition when approached, and some, jokingly, want to sign it more than once.

Payne said that once she gets the required number of signatures, she will submit it to the election board, and they have to verify that the people that signed are legitimate registered voters in the city.

“It’s a simple way to get income for the city,” said Payne.

She got the idea after hearing her friends at Del Webb say they make monthly runs to either Hermitage or Lebanon for wine, and spend $350 to $400. Del Webb also has a wine club.

She said if they go to Lebanon, at least they are going to Wilson County, but when they go to Hermitage, we are losing that tax revenue to Davidson County.

Payne is not a stranger to causes. She attends every city council meeting with a fire extinguisher in hand trying to get the fire station out in Providence. She said they were having Del Webb residents that needed an ambulance, and it was taking up to 25 minutes to get out there. She came here from Henderson, Nev., which was the fastest growing city in America a few years back. She used that experience of seeing the troubles of what a growing city go through to help fight for causes when she moved to Mt. Juliet.

“I’m sure it will pass,” said Payne of the liquor petition and the subsequent vote.

If it did pass, the City of Mt. Juliet could still put a lot of stipulations on the stores.